Mysmenopsis shushufindi, Dupérré & Tapia, 2020

Dupérré, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2020, Megadiverse Ecuador: a review of Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) of Ecuador, with the description of twenty-one new kleptoparasitic spider species, Zootaxa 4761 (1), pp. 1-81 : 49-53

Mysmenopsis shushufindi new species

Figs 144–153 , 228, 229 , map 3 (red diamond).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Sucumbios Province, Lago Agrio via Shushufindi, Sector La Guanta (-00.06647 -76.90675) 350m, 20 Abr. 2016, collected in Lycosidae web, N. Dupérré, E.E. Tapia ( QCAZ). Paratypes: 5♂ 5♀, same data as holotype ( ZMH-A0001556 , ZMH-A0001547 , ZMH-A0001557 , ZMH-A0001576 , QCAZ) .

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Sucumbios Province: Lago Agrio via Shushufindi, Sector La Guanta (-00.06647 -76.90675) 350m, 29 Abr. 2016, 2♂ 5♀, collected in undetermined web ( Lycosidae , Linothele ), N. Dupérré, E.E. Tapia ( DTC, ZMH-A 0001541, ZMH-A 0001560 ZMH-A 0001552 ZMH-A 0001569 ZMH-A 0001582, QCAZ); Rio Aguarico (-00.06647 -76.90675) 350m, 1♂, 29 Apr. 2016, in Dipluridae , Linothele web, E.E. Tapia, N. Dupérré. A.A. Tapia ( DTC).

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality Shushufindi.

Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished from all species by their large, triangular basal embolic apophysis almost completely covering the embolus and absence of cusps on the palpal tibia ( Figs 149, 151 ). Females can be distinguished from most species by their widely excavated posterior margin of epigynum ( Fig. 152 ), from M. pachacutec by their spermathecae smaller and widely separated ( Fig. 153 ), closer in the latter species ( Baert 1990, figs 7, 8).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.89; carapace length: 0.84; carapace width: 0.76; abdomen length: 1.05. Cephalothorax: carapace light orange-brown, pear-shaped; suffused with black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 144 ). Sternum light orange-brown, lightly suffused with black; covered with long setae. Clypeus light orange-brown; low (2.5x AME). Chelicerae light orange-brown; promargin with three teeth; retromargin not observed. Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately equal size; ocular region on protuberance; AME separated by half their radius, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their radius; PME separated by their diameter. Abdomen: rounded, light grey, with white patches in semi-circular pattern ( Figs 144, 145 ). Legs: uniformly orange; femur and tibia I enlarged, metatarsus I slightly curved. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with two prolateral clasping spurs and three macrosetae; metatarsus I curved, row of five macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and one clasping spur apically ( Fig. 147 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally. Total length leg I: 3.47 (1.18/0.32/1.03/0.48/0.46). Genitalia: palpal tibia elongated-globular; retrolateral ledge with one large triangular projection without cusps; ventral ledge bi-pointed without cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 149 ). Cymbium apically pointed, deeply excavated; paracymbium triangular, excavated prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 150 ). Tegulum pear-shaped ( Fig. 149 ). Embolus wide, blunt apically, hidden behind a large triangular basal embolic apophysis ( Fig. 151 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 1.85; carapace length: 0.84; carapace width: 0.66; abdomen length: 1.01. Cephalothorax: carapace dark orange brown, pear-shaped; suffused with black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 144 ). Clypeus dark brown; low (2x AME). Chelicerae and sternum as in male. Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately of equal size; ocular region on lower protuberance; AME separated by their radius, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their radius; PME separated by their diameter. Abdomen: rounded, dark gray, with white patches in semi-circular pattern ( Figs 144, 146 ). Legs: dark orange-brown. Leg I: femur enlarged without tubercle ( Fig. 148 ). Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with eight macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 2.78 (0.87/0.3/0.69/0.5/0.42). Genitalia: epigynum protruding, anterior epigynal margin concave, posterior epigynal margin with deep indentation ( Fig. 152 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with straight anterior margin ( Figs 153 , 228 ). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae small, oval ( Figs 153 , 229 ); copulatory ducts openings situated medially, copulatory ducts short and curved; fertilization ducts short and curved apically ( Figs 153 , 229 ).

Distribution. Ecuador, Sucumbios Province.

Natural history. This species was collected in a Lycosidae ( Aglaoctenus sp.) and Linothele sp. web. The species is found in the Amazonian ecoregion at 350m, in a lowland evergreen forest of the Aguarico-Putumayo-Caquetá (BsTa01) (Guevara, Pitman, Cerón & Mogollón) where it lives in sympatry with M. salazarae n. sp. and M. atahualpa .

Figures

FIGURES 144–148. Mysmenopsis shushufindi n. sp., 144, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 145, Male abdomen, posterior view. 146, Female abdomen, posterior view. 147, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 148, Female leg I, prolateral view. Scale bar: 144–146: 0.5mm; 147, 148: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 149–153. Mysmenopsis shushufindi n. sp., 149, Male palp, retrolateral view. 150, Male palp, prolateral view. 151, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 152, Epigynum, ventral view. 153, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 222–229. 222, 223, Mysmenopsis otokiki n. sp., 224, 225, Mysmenopsis choco n. sp. 226, 227, Mysmenopsis pululahua n. sp. 228, 229, Mysmenopsis shushufindi n. sp. 222, 224, 226, 228, Epigynum dorsal view. 223, 225, 227, 229, Internal genitalia, posterior view.